


Maps for the Getaway

by aveyune23



Series: It Was Always You [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Confessions, Drinking, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Motels and diners and Cassian’s beat-up Honda, RebelCaptain Secret Valentine, Romance, Sunsets, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 11:06:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aveyune23/pseuds/aveyune23
Summary: One day at the beginning of May, when he had met her for coffee, he had slapped the tattered road map on the table and asked her to go on an adventure.He just hadn’t planned on it being a “lost in the middle of nowhere” sort of adventure.(A RebelCaptain Secret Valentine’s gift for k-lara7, based on the prompt “If only we hadn’t gotten lost.”)





	Maps for the Getaway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [K_lara7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_lara7/gifts).



> I am so excited to finally share this Valentine Exchange gift with you! 
> 
> For K_lara7, who prompted me with “if only we hadn’t gotten lost.” I tweaked it a bit with their permission.
> 
> Please enjoy!

“I told you we should have used Google Maps.”

He knew she was fixing him with a Look, so he didn’t turn his head, choosing to keep his eyes on the twisting mountain road.

“We wouldn’t have service out here anyway,” he said. He could feel her boring her eyes into the side of his head.

“Yes, but we could have printed the directions. They would at least be accurate. More accurate—“ (he heard the rustle and crumpling of paper) “— than this.”

“Jyn,” he began, finally glancing over at her. She was turned in her seat, her brows drawn together in a frown. He couldn’t help smirking at her.

“Cassian,” she mocked, then laughed. It lit up her whole face. “This map is from the Eighties!” She shook the worn expanse of faded paper for emphasis.

“I know, but it’s—“

“It’s the map your family used when you were a child, I know.” Her expression softened for a moment, but then her lips quirked up. “But Cassian, really. Couldn’t we at least have used something from this decade?”

He shook his head, unable to stop himself from grinning. True, the map was older than he was, but it had sentimental value, and he had wanted to share that with her. It had been his idea to go on this road trip in the first place. It was June, they both had vacation time to burn, and ever since the new year and the tentative start of this relationship, he had been itching to get her away from the city, away from all of their friends who were constantly banging down their doors, who wouldn’t give them an entire weekend to just — be alone with each other.

So one day at the beginning of May, when he had met her for coffee, he had slapped that tattered road map on the table in front of her and asked her to go on an adventure with him.

He just hadn’t planned on it being a “lost in the middle of nowhere” sort of adventure.

“It was I-70, Jyn,” he tried, knowing she’d have another snarky retort ready no matter what he said. “That interstate hasn’t changed since it was built.”

“Well apparently,” she quipped, turning up her little English nose, “exits do.”

His shoulders shook with the strain of holding in his laughter.

“So we took the wrong exit. It’s not that bad. The last sign said there’s a motel in the next town. We can stop there for the night, get directions.”

She hummed. “A motel.”

“Classic feature of a road trip.”

“Mhmm. That’s what you said about the last one.”

“It’ll be better than the last one.”

“And the one before that?”

He shrugged, mouth stuck in a crooked grin because he knew she loved it.

“Questionable stains on the mattresses come standard.”

She shoved him, and he glanced over to catch her lips curling in a wide smile, her eyes crinkling.

“You’re terrible,” she laughed.

He reached across the seat and put his hand on her knee, his fingers brushing over the freckles, the scab from her nicking herself while shaving. Her hand came to rest on his for a moment, before she folded up the map.

“As long as there’s a place to get a bite, then I’m fine.”

“What? Tired of chips and Slim Jims?”

“I want a milkshake,” she pouted.

“I’ll find you a milkshake.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

* * *

The old woman behind the desk at the motel in town (“Population 233” the sign had boasted proudly) wasn’t quite sure what to make of a young couple with accents — and not the same ones, at that — but she had passed them the key to the room without too much of a judgmental stare, and they had laughed as soon as they were out of the office and back in the car, where Jyn told him, out of breath, “You’d think we’d walked straight out of a movie!”

And he had replied, “I should have said something to her in Spanish — her wig would have come off.”

Which sent them into hysterics.

The room was much cleaner than the last motel, which had been in a bigger town and closer to the interstate. This one had the typical cheap floral pictures on the wall, the rattling and obnoxiously loud window AC unit, the tiny complimentary shampoo and conditioner. There was the ancient telephone on the table (“So we can call room service,” Jyn giggled), and the Bible was in the drawer. The TV on the stand looked like it was at least 20 years old.

Cassian dropped his duffel bag on one of the beds and took in the room, shoving his hair out of his eyes.

“Not bad,” he said.

“Better than the last,” Jyn agreed, coming over to him. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her close, so that she would wrap her arms around his shoulders. He found her mouth with his, kissing her slow until she hummed against his lips and buried her fingers in his hair. One hand traced up her spine while the other traveled over her hip and around to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him, and she opened her mouth to him, her tongue softly meeting his. He sighed. He felt her smirk before she pulled back.

“Easy,” she murmured, her eyes sparkling. He grinned and placed both of his hands firmly on her ass and pulled her closer. She threw her head back and laughed, her whole body shaking, and she swatted at his chest.

“You promised me a milkshake,” she insisted. Cassian rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Milkshake first.” He bent down and kissed her again, then checked his pockets for his wallet and keys. “We can ask the woman at the desk where to find one.”

* * *

The diner was called Ruby’s, and the waitress had that small town hospitality smile when she slapped down two plastic-covered, slightly greasy menus as they slid into the booth. “Anything to drink?” she asked, and Jyn ordered her precious chocolate milkshake.

“Two straws,” Cassian said.

“Ha!” Jyn narrowed her eyes at him. “As if I’d share with you.”

He smirked. “You will.”

“No I won’t.” She looked up at the waitress. “One straw, and if he wants some he’ll just have to risk the mouth herpes.”

The waitress — her name was Julie, according to the tag on her apron — stared down at Jyn with wide eyes, her brows almost to her hairline.

“One straw then,” Cassian conceded, and when Julie walked away, they both snorted in quiet laughter.

“Do you have to do that every time?” he asked, nudging her foot with his beneath the table. Her shoulders shook.

“Sorry,” she said. “I can’t help it. These small towns — did you see the look on her face?”

He grinned at her as she giggled, thinking back on their trip.

Four days on the road, four nights in small town motels because it was cheaper to sleep outside the big cities. 28 total hours inside his beat up Honda CR-V that got 23 miles to the gallon. 28 hours through forests and cornfields and finally mountains. She had never seen the mountains before, had craned her neck to stare wide-eyed out the windshield as they went out of Denver, up and up and up and “how much higher can we go?” And he had grinned and grinned at her, at her being awestruck, at her jaw which hung open as they went further and further into the Rockies.

And then he had taken the wrong exit, and they had wound up marvelously _lost_ , but sitting across from her in that diner, in that small town proudly Population 233, he watched her suck down a chocolate milkshake and felt like his heart would burst just from being in the same room as her, witness to her joy.

“Y’all aren’t from around here, are you?” Julie the waitress asked when she delivered their burgers and fries. Jyn had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing, but Cassian smiled up at her and said, “No. New York.”

And she had given him this starstruck sort of look and nodded, mouthing “New York” as she walked away.

“So what are we doing tonight?” Jyn asked. “Seeing as we were supposed to be in a cabin in a national park by now.”

Cassian rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms.

“We can talk to the locals. See what’s around.”

“Hmm.” She stuck her straw in her mouth and noisily slurped up the last of her milkshake, looking thoughtful.

“There was a nice view of the mountains right before we got into town,” she said. “We could park the car and watch the sunset.”

She said this last part quietly, almost shy. Cassian touched his foot to hers.

“Maybe grab some beer?” he offered.

She nodded, smiling in that small, secret way that she saved for when he said something that made her happy.

“Sounds good.”

* * *

As it turned out, unless bought from a liquor store (which the town did not have), beer can only be sold in Colorado if it is 3.2 percent alcohol by volume. Cassian and Jyn didn’t discover this until they were sitting on the hood of his car outside of town, facing west and waiting for the sun to go down.

“What the hell?” Jyn had cried. “First it’s only Coors light, and now it’s watered down Coors light?”

Cassian had laughed and cracked one open, taking a swig and then making a face.

“Ugh. Yeah. Not great.”

Jyn shrugged and took another drink. “I guess it could be worse.”

“It’ll probably still get you wasted.”

She looked offended. “I don’t get wasted, thank you very much.”

He held up his hands, careful not to tip his beer. “Of course you don’t. My apologies.”

She lifted her chin, feigning propriety, but she could never hold it for long. She burst out laughing and then leaned back on her one hand, sipping on the beer she held in the other. She stared out at the landscape before them, eyes squinting against the bright but fading light.

Cassian followed her gaze, taking in the mountains and the canvas of orange and pink and red behind them. It was an amazing view, but his eyes kept drifting back to Jyn. Her face was cast in soft orange, the light of the sun setting off the flecks of hazel in her green eyes. Her freckles stood out on her skin, and he wanted to press his lips to the ones just beneath her brow. Nothing was stopping him from doing it, except that she looked so content staring out ahead of them, and he didn’t want to disturb her.

The light dimmed from orange to red, and Jyn sighed.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

Cassian looked out. The blue and purple of the night was creeping closer to the mountains, and the sun had disappeared behind them, leaving a dark red smear on the horizon. It _was_ beautiful. Stunning, even. But the woman next to him — tank top and shorts, messy bun hair, chipped fingernail polish hands wrapped around an aluminum can — that was the sight that took his breath away.

She caught him looking and smiled. “What?”

“Nothing,” he replied. “Just looking.”

She scowled at him, but a blush was climbing her neck. That was one of the things that made her beautiful — she blushed with her whole body.

“You’re supposed to be looking at the sunset.”

He grinned, enjoying watching her squirm. “This view is better.”

Her face flooded red. She looked away and started picking at the tab on the top of her beer can. She liked to peel the labels off of bottles when she was nervous, but the pop tab would have to do. It made a metallic _plink, plink_ noise as she messed with it.

Cassian watched her fidget for a moment, then reached out and touched her jaw.

“Hey.”

She turned her head to look at him. She looked uncertain. Cassian felt his stomach twist.

“What’s up?”

She bit her lip and looked down at her beer can. “Can I tell you something?” she asked.

Something was wrong. He scooted across the hood until his thigh was pressed against hers. “Anything,” he told her. “What’s wrong?”

She snapped her eyes to his. “Nothings wrong!” she insisted. “Really! I just—“ She chewed on her lip again, and then took a deep breath.

“I’m really glad we went on this trip,” she said, and Cassian exhaled.

“Oh. Is that it?”

“Well, no. Not exactly.”

He frowned. “Jyn —“

“You know I love you, right?”

The words fell out of her mouth in a rush. Cassian felt his jaw drop in surprise as he pieced the sentence together.

“You—?”

Her face turned redder than the sunset, and she nodded.

His mouth was still hanging open. He may have stopped breathing. But then his body remembered that that was something he had to do, and he took a sharp breath in.

He figured he should probably say something, instead of gaping at her like a fish. He closed his mouth.

“You don’t have to say it back,” Jyn said hastily, but her tone was defeated. “I’d understand. Sorry, I didn’t mean to —“

“Jyn,” he interrupted, feeling something warm bubble up in his chest.

She glanced at him, looking like she wanted to disappear.

“What?”

“Shut up.”

Her eyes widened, and he leaned forward and sealed her lips with his. It was a short kiss, because he had to pull away and tell her, “I love you, too,” which made her whole face light up, and she dropped her beer, not caring that it rolled off the hood and fell to the ground. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, hard and fierce. He grinned against her mouth and let go of his beer, too, so that he could take her by the hips and pull her close. She sighed and opened her mouth, her tongue meeting his, and she tasted like cheap beer and chocolate milkshake and strawberry lip balm and he could kiss her for hours, he really really could. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and he cupped the nape of her neck, and oh if he could freeze this moment, encase them in amber that glowed warm like a June sunset. He broke the kiss so that he could look at her and decided that she would never be more beautiful than right now, lips parted, eyes as soft and green as moss. Those eyes saw straight into him, one word from those lips could break him down or build him up.

He was, in short, completely and utterly head-over-fucking-heels in love with her, and _she loved him back._

He was grinning like an idiot, but so was she, and he laughed, the joy in his chest bubbling up and out. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest to hide her blush, and he fell back against the windshield, taking her with him. She propped herself up on an arm and gazed down at him, still grinning, cheeks still blazing.

“I love you,” he told her, the words rolling off his tongue like he’d been saying it his whole life.

“I love you,” she whispered, and lay down next to him, her head on his arm.

Cassian looked out at the horizon. The sun was gone, the reds and yellows replaced by dark blue and an arm of the Milky Way. He heard her gasp and knew that she had looked up at the sky. He glanced down at her and saw her wide eyes and the starlight reflected in them, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. She sighed, content, and then murmured, “I’m glad we got lost.”

He smiled, a small fire flickering behind his ribs.

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I had fun writing it! 
> 
> Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
> 
> (Find me on tumblr @kotaface for drabbles, previews of WIPs, or just to chat! Ask box is always open!)


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